Molecular characterization of the gene feminizer in the stingless bee Melipona interrupta (Hymenoptera: Apidae) reveals association to sex and caste development
In highly eusocial insects, development of reproductive traits are regulated not only by sex determination pathway, but it also depends on caste fate. The molecular basis of both mechanisms in stingless bees and possible interaction with each other is still obscure. Here, we investigate sex determin...
| Autor principal: | Brito, Diana Vieira |
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| Outros Autores: | Silva, Carlos Gustavo N., Hasselmann, Martin, Viana, Luciana S., Astolfi-Filho, Spártaco A.T., Carvalho-zilse, Gislene Almeida |
| Grau: | Artigo |
| Idioma: | English |
| Publicado em: |
Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2020
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https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/17444 |
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oai:repositorio:1-17444 |
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oai:repositorio:1-17444 Molecular characterization of the gene feminizer in the stingless bee Melipona interrupta (Hymenoptera: Apidae) reveals association to sex and caste development Brito, Diana Vieira Silva, Carlos Gustavo N. Hasselmann, Martin Viana, Luciana S. Astolfi-Filho, Spártaco A.T. Carvalho-zilse, Gislene Almeida Juvenile Hormone Rna, Messenger Alternative Rna Splicing Animals Bee Embryology Female Gene Gene Expression Regulation Genetics Growth, Development And Aging Larva Male Sex Determination Processes Alternative Splicing Animal Bees Female Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental Genes, Insect Juvenile Hormones Larva Male Rna, Messenger Sex Determination Processes In highly eusocial insects, development of reproductive traits are regulated not only by sex determination pathway, but it also depends on caste fate. The molecular basis of both mechanisms in stingless bees and possible interaction with each other is still obscure. Here, we investigate sex determination in Melipona interrupta, focusing on characterization and expression analysis of the feminizer gene (Mi- fem), and its association to a major component of caste determination, the juvenile hormone (JH). We present evidence that Mi- fem mRNA is sex-specifically spliced in which only the female splice variant encodes the full length protein, following the same principle known for other bee species. We quantified Mi- fem expression among developmental stages, sexes and castes. Mi- fem expression varies considerably throughout development, with higher expression levels in embryos. Also, fem levels in pupae and newly emerged adults were significantly higher in queens than workers and males. Finally, we ectopically applied JH in cocoon spinning larvae, which correspond to the time window where queen/worker phenotypes diverge. We observed a significantly increase in Mi- fem expression compared to control groups. Since up to 100% of females turn into queens when treated with JH (while control groups are composed mainly of workers), we propose that fem might act to regulate queens' development. Our findings provide support for the conserved regulatory function of fem in Melipona bees and demonstrate a significant correlation between key elements of sex and caste determination pathways, opening the avenue to further investigate the molecular basis of these complex traits. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. 2020-06-15T21:42:51Z 2020-06-15T21:42:51Z 2015 Artigo https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/17444 10.1016/j.ibmb.2015.09.008 en Volume 66, Pags. 24-30 Restrito Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
| institution |
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - Repositório Institucional |
| collection |
INPA-RI |
| language |
English |
| topic |
Juvenile Hormone Rna, Messenger Alternative Rna Splicing Animals Bee Embryology Female Gene Gene Expression Regulation Genetics Growth, Development And Aging Larva Male Sex Determination Processes Alternative Splicing Animal Bees Female Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental Genes, Insect Juvenile Hormones Larva Male Rna, Messenger Sex Determination Processes |
| spellingShingle |
Juvenile Hormone Rna, Messenger Alternative Rna Splicing Animals Bee Embryology Female Gene Gene Expression Regulation Genetics Growth, Development And Aging Larva Male Sex Determination Processes Alternative Splicing Animal Bees Female Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental Genes, Insect Juvenile Hormones Larva Male Rna, Messenger Sex Determination Processes Brito, Diana Vieira Molecular characterization of the gene feminizer in the stingless bee Melipona interrupta (Hymenoptera: Apidae) reveals association to sex and caste development |
| topic_facet |
Juvenile Hormone Rna, Messenger Alternative Rna Splicing Animals Bee Embryology Female Gene Gene Expression Regulation Genetics Growth, Development And Aging Larva Male Sex Determination Processes Alternative Splicing Animal Bees Female Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental Genes, Insect Juvenile Hormones Larva Male Rna, Messenger Sex Determination Processes |
| description |
In highly eusocial insects, development of reproductive traits are regulated not only by sex determination pathway, but it also depends on caste fate. The molecular basis of both mechanisms in stingless bees and possible interaction with each other is still obscure. Here, we investigate sex determination in Melipona interrupta, focusing on characterization and expression analysis of the feminizer gene (Mi- fem), and its association to a major component of caste determination, the juvenile hormone (JH). We present evidence that Mi- fem mRNA is sex-specifically spliced in which only the female splice variant encodes the full length protein, following the same principle known for other bee species. We quantified Mi- fem expression among developmental stages, sexes and castes. Mi- fem expression varies considerably throughout development, with higher expression levels in embryos. Also, fem levels in pupae and newly emerged adults were significantly higher in queens than workers and males. Finally, we ectopically applied JH in cocoon spinning larvae, which correspond to the time window where queen/worker phenotypes diverge. We observed a significantly increase in Mi- fem expression compared to control groups. Since up to 100% of females turn into queens when treated with JH (while control groups are composed mainly of workers), we propose that fem might act to regulate queens' development. Our findings provide support for the conserved regulatory function of fem in Melipona bees and demonstrate a significant correlation between key elements of sex and caste determination pathways, opening the avenue to further investigate the molecular basis of these complex traits. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. |
| format |
Artigo |
| author |
Brito, Diana Vieira |
| author2 |
Silva, Carlos Gustavo N. Hasselmann, Martin Viana, Luciana S. Astolfi-Filho, Spártaco A.T. Carvalho-zilse, Gislene Almeida |
| author2Str |
Silva, Carlos Gustavo N. Hasselmann, Martin Viana, Luciana S. Astolfi-Filho, Spártaco A.T. Carvalho-zilse, Gislene Almeida |
| title |
Molecular characterization of the gene feminizer in the stingless bee Melipona interrupta (Hymenoptera: Apidae) reveals association to sex and caste development |
| title_short |
Molecular characterization of the gene feminizer in the stingless bee Melipona interrupta (Hymenoptera: Apidae) reveals association to sex and caste development |
| title_full |
Molecular characterization of the gene feminizer in the stingless bee Melipona interrupta (Hymenoptera: Apidae) reveals association to sex and caste development |
| title_fullStr |
Molecular characterization of the gene feminizer in the stingless bee Melipona interrupta (Hymenoptera: Apidae) reveals association to sex and caste development |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Molecular characterization of the gene feminizer in the stingless bee Melipona interrupta (Hymenoptera: Apidae) reveals association to sex and caste development |
| title_sort |
molecular characterization of the gene feminizer in the stingless bee melipona interrupta (hymenoptera: apidae) reveals association to sex and caste development |
| publisher |
Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| url |
https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/17444 |
| _version_ |
1787141778093113344 |
| score |
11.755432 |